The Handcuffs are a basic tool that all people on the Corrections Staff, ERT, and High Command teams get.
It's used for cuffing inmates When cuffed, an officer can release, or frisk the inmate or the officer to remove illegal items. Handcuffs can also be used to transport inmates to statuses or cells. You can also use them to transport misbehaving inmates to the Maximum Security or Solitary Cells.
There is a glitch where sometimes if you cuff a moving inmate it will still let them move around and not let you move around that easily. This is sometimes known as resisting arrest.
They are also a vital tool for arresting. When you cuff a criminal a third option called arrest appears. When you press it, the criminal will be changed back to the inmate team without the items that they had. This option used to appear for inmates too before it was removed due to abuse as staff members would just arrest all the inmates to move them between statuses.
Handcuffs can be used to transport inmates or criminals to other locations in the prison or to stop an armed inmate or an inmate who is trying to escape. They can also help keep inmates in line by moving them out of the red zone markers.
If you are an Overseer Command and you cuff a staff member a third option will appear, that being the FIRE button. If you press this it will switch the cuffed staff's team to inmate. Usually this is after 3 warnings. It will also do the same animation arresting a crim plays, with them kneeling and hands behind their back, for a shorter amount of time however.
Staff cuff is just given to higher ranks (admins, HIC0MM team and OC can also cuff staff). It can be used to punish guards that are not obeying orders.